Todd Coats, Chief Creative Officer
Bio
Todd loves variety. Over the past 20 years he's been a designer, art director, illustrator, animator, environmental designer, broadcast designer, producer, creative manager, brand manager, entertainment producer, creative director, chief creative officer, painter, writer, educator, motivator, strategist, funk musician, rapper, loving husband and father. His work has been recognized by The Addys, The Tellys, Graphis, AIGA Graphic Design USA, How, Creativity, ShowSouth, the AIGA North Carolina Design Show — and many more.Articles
-
Hard workin’ uglies
Note: If you’re a design snob, you’re going to hate this post.
After 28 MTV has updated their identity http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142017,
and I’m a little disappointed. It looks like a serious designer got a hold of it with an attempt to add more credibility. It’s not a huge change, just more fussy. I was never a fan of the station’s mark. In an attempt to be au courant in 1981, it seemed dated the millisecond it was launched.
Nevertheless, That got me thinking about other identities that work hard, get embedded in our culture but are so visually unappealing they’d curdle milk.
Texaco
The iconic American brand’s 1903, five-pointed star and T referenced the lone star state and…uh…TEXACO. Get it? Texaco starts with a T! Logos are always best when they tutor our spelling. This logo worked so hard that when the oil giant updated its corporate identity in 2000, they decided the star symbol no longer needed the word “Texaco” below it.
Goodyear
In 1900, the rubber pioneers decided the wingfoot of Mercury embodied the characteristics of the company. Inspired by a statue of the mythological god found at a meeting in the president’s home, the Goodyear mucky mucks quickly agreed that was the new logo. I’m sure subsequent committees and focus groups were formed with a final report due any day now. If that meeting happened at my house, the symbol for rubber around the world might have been dogs playing poker.
Vans
I couldn’t find a reference to this logo’s origin. But given the company started by taking shoe orders in the morning and making the shoes that afternoon, I imagine the logo also has an unpretentious beginning. Regardless, its clunkiness works.
Wrangler
I know this identity goes back to the 1940s but I found no insight into its origin. It’s probably the worst logo ever made but I love it.
So, MTV, you’re in some good company. Good luck with the new change. Long live the hard workin’ uglies!
-
The brand story of 2009
Interbrand's top one hundred most valuable brands of 2009 is out. I dove into the research looking for some clarity in this tilt-a-whirl world of economics and communication.
First thing I noticed is…well…nothing. There has been no change in the top five brands over the past two years. Coke, IBM, Microsoft, GE and Nokia still reign supreme. A closer check showed only little change in the second half of the top ten as well.
I decided to look for trends from the past decade and saw again that the top five stayed relatively consistent.
However, as brands moved further down the list, there is greater volatility in value. For instance over the past ten years, Coca-Cola and IBM stayed as predictable as a day trip through the desert. Unfortunately, some former blue-chips like the financial sector's Morgan Stanley were like a double black diamond nose-dive. I'm sure there's a name for this 'lower-value-higher-volatility' phenomenon. Whatever it's called, it tells a compelling story.
If we look at the list's biggest risers and hardest fallers an obvious pattern emerges. Fast rising, ever-evolving brands like Google and Amazon clearly show us what the consumer wants. They tell us innovation…serious innovation…is business critical. To get the most from a brand, a company can't just invent, they must reinvent whole concepts like retail or phones.
The hardest fallers are pretty clear to understand, too. Four of the top five losers were in financial (Morgan Stanley, American Express, Citibank and UBS).
The other major non-financial faller was Harley Davidson. I understand that people had less disposable income for luxury items but some brands like Prada and Burberry did okay. It appears the luxury brands that tried to be more accessible by opening to other (aka lower income) markets lost the luster of luxury. Joining Harley in the tumble were Armani, Rolex and Cartier. It definitely wasn't the year of luxury brand growth.
So what does this tell us? First, stability matters. Brands like Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft and GE are monoliths. Sure they gain and lose money like any business but they stay true. Second, consumerism is playing a bigger role than ever. And we consumers want a steady stream of innovation on a grand scale. We're numbed by innovation. Brands have to bring far bigger ideas to the consumer to break through. Lastly, it remains all about trust. These are still uncertain times. Brands are a reflection of us. They help us to belong to a community, define our values and comfort ourselves.
Brands that will be fast risers in 2010 are the ones that act like leaders by setting the highest industry standards, staying consistently fresh, actively listening to customers and accurately measuring their impact. Assuming a brand does all the right things, they then must clearly communicate their position and engage the consumer on all levels. Something tells me we won't see a big shift new year.
-
Fame = Internet - Talent
Leaving Sam Ash music store last week, I was approached by a young man. He wanted me to buy his music. His pitch?"Hey man. I wanna be famous, check me out on the Web."The kid's blunt honesty compelled me to go to his site. Unfortunately, just blah. Not good enough to be followed, but bad enough to be viral. Having been a musician for 30-plus years I realize the talent and sweat it takes to make any money in the industry. Much less be famous. So, I realized the Web has blurred the lines between talent and sensationalism. The disturbing part is I don't believe most know the difference. Then on YouTube I saw the American Idol phenom General Larry Platt performing "Pants on the Ground" and it all became clear.Riveting and disturbingly clear. -
The Year of “Will-Do”
About a year ago, I wrote that 2009 could be a lot less creatively challenging for agencies. I warned creatives who got bogged down at every stop, that 2009 was going to stink professionally. However, if they saw possibilities in the limitations, they'd be better as the economy rebounded. I referred to 2009 at the "Year of Handcuffs" inspired by my favorite adage, "It's only in handcuffs that Houdini did his magic."So here we are, 2010. We lived through the unprecedented Noughties. I'm thrilled to Yippee-Ki-Yay that mother-of-a-decade is out of here. Something tells me with the start of a new decade there's aspiration. The ones who'll prosper are the ones who will do whatever it takes to reach a goal.The economy will still make business tough. The communication landscape will continue to fracture with the rise of mass niche media. And we'll keep creating innovative ways to waste time uncovering information we never knew we needed. The challenge for an agency of creative thinkers like Capstrat is to stay fresh and focused. To have both the "will" to acheive and the "do" to get it done.Pandering I know, but I feel like my teammates get that in spades. What a great way to start a decade. -
Another thing that irritates me.
Being a medium-neutral shop, it’s vital Capstrat understands trends in particular media and disciplines. More and more I’ve noticed ad, web, PR and design associations and publications stressing their value over each other. Each claiming the other is dying and (fill in the blank) is the cost effective way to move an audience.I’ve got an idea. Forget the practice and focus on solving your client’s problem. Why waste time holding onto silos that communication disciplines MAY be divided into? Media is complex and getting more interdependent every day. Is the agency of the future destined to dabble in all media or am I totally whack? -
Ten expressions to retire in 2010
I don't know about you, but there are a bunch of things from 2009 I'd love to put behind me.
Here is astarting point. Ten distinct expressions to leave in 2009.
10 "That’show I roll"
9 "In this economic climate…"
8 "Acai–The miracle berry"
7 "Ponzi Scheme"
6 "Side effects may occur"
5 "OMG" or "WTF" spoken aloud. I'm still okay texting these.
4 "Balloon Boy"
3 "Unfriend"
2 "Bailout"
1 "Kardashian"
Any others?
-
Just like mama used to say…
…you're judged by the friends you keep.I recently saw that Florida's Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee strongly urges judges and lawyers to no longer "friend" each other on social networking sites.Why?The relationship could create the impression lawyers are in a friendly position to influence judges' decisions.Whether this is true or not, I believe this CYA stance will make its way into the commercial world. In a complex corporate environment often driven by procurement, perception can be reality. I haven’t heard of companies "unfriending" suppliers yet. But, it's bound to happen. -
Digital Suicide
Has your Facebook account gotten a little long in the tooth? Now you can pull the plug on that bad boy putting it out of its misery. Seppukoo.com, named after the Japanese ritual of honorable suicide is intended to liberate the digital body. You can create a customized memorial page in honor of your deceased account, and Seppukoo will even break the news to your virtual friends. Just sit back as Facebook pals blubber on about missing you. Meanwhile, you’re forming a new social network with others who have committed the same (sniff) honorable act.
The best part? Your digital resurrection begins next time you log on to Facebook.
Innovative viral marketing, Facebook rip off or lame waste of time? Discuss.
-
"Hey Mikey! He Likes It!"
A particularly persnickety client sent us an email with the famous phrase. While it was a little out of context, it only took me a second to get it. The 1972 Bill Bernbach classic was one of the longest continuously running spots ever aired.However, one of my colleagues copied on the same email didn’t make the connection. Could it be because she is eighteen years my junior?What are the most recognizable commercial phrases from the past ten years? Keep in mind "Got Milk?" is sixteen years old this month! -
The Ad World according to Thirtysomething
If you’re under thirty-five I doubt you’ll get this.The DVD collection of Thirtysomething was recently released. It brought back memories of 80’s optimism. Particularly in the ad world. Boomer yuppies Michael and Elliot start their own agency, play Nerf basketball, fight the battle of idealism vs. commercialism, play more Nerf basketball then finally go to work for ethically-challenged Miles Drentel. Where they long for days of Nerf basketball.Thirtysomething premiered in 1987—the same year my business partner and I opened our agency. Although only in our mid-twenties, we were a lot like The Michael and Elliot Agency. We loved each other. We hated each other, we hugged, threw things, experienced great highs and crushing lows. Then we'd start over again the next day. It was sort of like a Dramedy set on a rollercoaster.So now, 22 years older and probably a lot easier to be around, I appreciate the hope Thirtysomething gave kids like me. That I may have a chance in the world of Fallons, Goodbys, Chiats and (gasp!) Drentels.
All Articles